Photo: UFC

By Miguel Palaban

Kimbert Alintozon saw his campaign in the bantamweight tournament of Road To UFC Season 5 come to an early end after suffering a second-round technical knockout defeat to Nepal’s Rabindra Dhant at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, China on Thursday.

The 27-year-old pride of Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental stepped up on short notice after Matty Iann withdrew due to injury, moving up from his natural flyweight division to seize the opportunity in the prestigious tournament.

Despite the size disadvantage, Alintozon came out aggressively and confidently traded heavy shots with Dhant in the opening round.

Dhant initially used his reach advantage to keep the Filipino at bay, but Alintozon found success by closing the distance and landing sharp punches in the pocket. Sensing danger on the feet, the Nepalese fighter mixed in takedown attempts to alter the momentum.

While Alintozon enjoyed success in the striking exchanges early on, an attempt to bring the fight to the canvas allowed Dhant to reverse the position with a whizzer takedown.

The Nepalese’s control on the ground was short-lived, prompting both men to return to striking exchanges. Alintozon then appeared to stun Dhant with his trademark left hook and immediately looked to capitalize by hunting for a rear-naked choke.

Dhant, however, managed to reverse the position before the end of the round, though he was unable to mount a significant offense before the horn sounded.

Momentum shifted dramatically early in the second frame after a failed takedown attempt from Alintozon enabled Dhant to secure top position and unleash relentless ground-and-pound.

From there, Dhant took full control of the contest, overwhelming the Filipino with sustained offense while shutting down every escape attempt.

With Alintozon absorbing unanswered punishment, referee Mark Craig stepped in to stop the fight at the 4:27 mark of Round 2.

The victory improved Dhant’s record to 10-1, extending his winning streak to four and marking the ninth stoppage win of his career.

Meanwhile, Alintozon dropped to 7-4 after a valiant effort in his short-notice Road To UFC debut.